The Last Days of the Principality of Gleann Abhann

by Vallawulf Rurikson in the style of The Life of St. Cuthbert (c. 634-687), by St. Bede (673-735).

(This is a true story told in the style of a fairy tale or legend. It is written by Vallawulf Rurikson, Ambassador of Atenveldt and Atenveldt Disaster Relief Coordinator and Moderator of the SCA-911 Yahoo Group.)

WHEN Radu and Broinnfinn, Lord and Lady Heir of Gleann Abhann, had passed several months in said positions as Heirs to these Lands, a Principality of the Kingdom of Meridies, knowing in Spirit that Their day to become a Kingdom in Their own ryght was at hand, They did turn to contemplate such Actions and kindle up to Greater Bryghtness the Flame of Their Impending Nationhood. At this time, They were accustomed to go out frequently from Their Manor and converse with the Populace, who came to visit with Them.

They had one day left Their Manor, to visit with Their Populace and, when They had finished, They said to them, "We must now go home again; but do you, as you are inclined to depart, first take food; and when you have cooked and eaten, go on with the preparations for Coronation.” They then gave thanks to Their Populace and, feeling blessed in them, went home.

Now when They had readied Themselves, They tryed to go forth with Their Coronation, but a Massive Storm utterly prevented Them from proceeding. The Tempest flooded the Barony of Axemoor, causing Their Excellencies, Merwyyd of Effington and Eleri of Caerleon, Baron and Baroness of those Lands, and all Their people, to flee in dismay from Their Ancestral Holdings. The Barony of Seleone and the Shire of Dragoun’s Wheel were smashed flat by the Four Winds, causing Their Excellencies, Thaddeus Camberwell and Daphne of Colchester, Baron and Baroness of Those Lands, and all their people, to flee in dismay from Their Ancestral Holdings as well. Many other Shires, Cantons and Colleges were also destroyed or damaged heavily.

The Lord and Lady Heir, along with the people of Gleann Abhann, watched in dismay as the roughness of the Winds and the Waves increased, and the rising of the Waters continued unabated, and yet They could not call to mind what fault They had committed or how They had offended the Gods. They fled North and East and West, in all directions but South, in any way to escape the Angry Sea that flooded their Cities, and scattered upon the Teeth of the Four Winds that scoured their towns flat, and it seemed as though the Lands known as Gleann Abhann would cease to exist, lost in the Mysts of Time, as Atlantis or Mu before Her, and Her People decimated and caused to wander, as the Jews, for a long period of Tyme, or absorbed into other Kyngdoms...

After gathering in what shelters They could find, They turned to the King and Queen of Meridies and Their Heirs, and to lament to Them of Their Ruin and Destruction. Their Royal Majesties and Their Royal Highnesses exhorted the people of Gleann Abhann to be patient and, throughout the period of waiting, came out to console their Sorrow, and give them Succor and Encouragement.

“Why do we remain here idle?” asked Lethrenn, Queen of Meridies. “Let us do the best we can to save ourselves!”

“Yes!” cried Deirdre, Crown Princess of Meridies. “We can survive this! We can help each other!”

“Yes!” cried Broinnfinn, Lady Heir of Gleann Abhann. “We have all that we truly need! Our husbands and wives and children and dogs! Our lives and our friends and our family! Though our Land is covered with Water and the Heavens with Clouds, though the currents of both Wynds and Waves are fully against us, though we are Famished with Hunger and we have lost Everything, and there is no one to Relieve us, if our Faith does not Waver, I think we shall not remain long in these Dire Strayts.”

Little did these Formidable Women know at that moment how right They were!

Then it did happen Most Wonderfully that the Wynds began to cease and the Waves began to be still and the Waters began to recede. Seeing that the Sea was finally Calm, after suffering from Cold and Hunger and Loss of Property, after overcoming Shock and Despayr, the people of Gleann Abhann began the long and slow trek back into their Damaged Lands to see what was left, to begin the process of rebuilding their lives. It seemed that, for now, the Dream of becoming a Kingdom would have to be put aside.

But it was not to be.

The Dream would not die. Not for the Lord and Lady Heir of Gleann Abhann.

“We will hold coronation barefoot, in our shifts, in a field if necessary!” said Broinnfinn.

It would not die for the Loyal Members of the Principality, nor would it die for the King and Queen of Meridies, Maximilian II & Lethrenn II, nor for their Royal Heirs, Boru & Deirdre, nor for the Officers or Populace of Meridies or Gleann Abhann. Nor, indeed, would the Dream die for the rest of the Knowne Worlde.

“We will not allow this to happen!” came the cry from all Corners of the Worlde, from those who had heard of the Trials and Tribulations being experienced by the people of Gleann Abhann.

And, shortly after the Wynds and Waves stilled, the Knowne Worlde responded en masse, succoring their brothers and sisters in Gleann Abhann and Meridies with an overwhelming outpouring of Cheerfull Wyshes and Welcome Supplies to assist them in the rebuilding of their Kingdoms and of the day of Coronation for the newest Kingdom. So much, in fact, that the storehouses of Gleann Abhann were bulging with largesse.

“We do not have the words to thank you, the Knowne Worlde, for the overwhelming aid to our populace,” said Broinnfinn a sentiment echoed by Her King, Officers and Populace time and again as They spoke and wrote to those assisting Them. (But They did find them later, as you can read in Theyr letter further on in this History.)

Thus it was that Gleann Abhann, to their Grayt Delyght, and to the Graytt Delyght of the rest of the Worlde, reached Kingdom status at long last. Those there rejoiced because they now saw what care the Knowne Worlde had for Their Youngest Kingdom, so as to Vindicate Her from Neglect, to keep Her from Destruction and from Extinction and from being Forgotten, even by means of the Elements. They rejoiced, too, that the Knowne Worlde should have had so much regard to Themselves, as to assist in Their recovery in a most Miraculous Way.

Thus was the Kingdom of Gleann Abhann born from the Elements, from Water and Wynd, Fyre and Earth and took its Ryghtfull Place as the Nineteenth Kingdom of the Knowne Worlde!

Written by my hand this third day of November, Anno Societatus XL, being 2005 Gregorian.

Vallawulf Rurikson, Ambassador from Atenveldt

Originally published on www.SCAtoday.net (11/14/2005)

Originally published --date-- by Gael Stirler

Renaissance Community Responds to Hurricane Katrina

Originally posted September 2005
by Gael Stirler
(September 9, 2005) Even before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, Lord Colin of Tighan began efforts to help those displaced by the weather by founding a Yahoo Group called SCA-Disaster. Within days hundreds of people joined the list and began offering their time, homes, money, and supplies.

Outside of New Orleans in Georgia, the outgoing King and Queen of the SCA Kingdom of Meridies, which comprises Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, parts of Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennesee, were overwhelmed with people calling their home, or e-mailing with questions and offers of help in the days after Katrina hit. Suddenly their ceremonial roles took on new meaning as they became the faces of strength and comfort to a populous ravaged by reality.

Renaissance Festivals

Rick Hight and Alvon Blumfield, owners of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, (LRF) located about 25 miles northwest of New Orleans, evacuated the faire site taking with them all of their computers and equipment before Katrina hit. Then they waited. They resisted their fears for several anxious days not knowing whether or not the faire survived. Some of their cast members lost homes, vehicles, and pets. Rick Hight, co-owner and general manager of LRF, finally got to survey the damage. He said the damage was was minor, just a few roofs, a backdrop, and scattered debris. "The Louisiana Ren Festival will open on schedule!"

Owner Rick Hight is pleased that there was no flooding and very little damage to the Louisiana Renaissance Festival site.

Hight wrote in his e-newsletter, "Many of our volunteer cast are having problems due to Katrina. I know of at least five of our cast members that have houses in New Orleans and/or Slidell that have suffered major damage. The people that evacuated have to figure out how to pay for where they are staying and how to buy food. Several of them are out of work for the duration and some of them are trying to figure out how to survive without their last paycheck, which is 'in the mail' for the duration."

Chad LaComb, President of the Renaissance Living History Center (RLHC )at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, expressed concern for the bulk of the cast members who reside in New Orleans and Southern Mississippi. The RLHC is a non-profit organization that puts on the School Days at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival and has stepped up to provide aid to their community by establishing a relief fund. "The fund is intended to help these people replace some of the things that they lost, like clothing, toiletries, temporary housing expenses etc. and provide general assistance until insurance funds become available. With the cost of hotel rooms, food, etc., we know that most of our friends and family, whose jobs were also destroyed by the hurricane are going to quickly exhaust any available savings and we want to be able to provide, at least on a temporary basis, whatever financial assistance
we can until their disaster insurance kicks in." You can make secure donations at LRF Katrina Relief Fund

Owner, Alvon Brumfield mans a back hoe and clears debris from the parking lot at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival.

LRF dodged the bullet but the RLHC had to reduce the number of School Days to just two days in December, since many of the schools they serve have been closed. A teacher's workshop, planned for September 10th and 11th, was postponed to the end of October since the original site was filled with evacuees.

Hight expressed concern about keeping up communications and festival related mail delivery, "It looks like it will be another few weeks before the mail service will be available. I have been unable to get merchant packets sent out via the mail." Since it appears that mail service will not be restored quickly, he plans to hold the packets, including the contracts, at the gate for merchants. Phone service has been difficult since the phone lines in Louisiana have been overloaded. Hight set up several additional phone numbers that are routed to the festival office via the internet.

"I am hoping to get a chance to talk to every merchant some time in the next couple of weeks so that I can let them know about how we will process folks when they arrive."

Numbers for those calling LRF from within Louisiana.

• 985-429-9992 (Hammond LA)
• 225-612-0025 (Baton Rouge LA)

Numbers for those calling from out-of-state

• 623-748-0169 (Phoenix AZ)
• 941-894-0559 (Sarasota FL)

Katrina did not hit the Texas Renaissance Festival outside of Houston, but many of the people who work and volunteer at the Festival are involved in the relief efforts and are looking forward to the fun and respite that they will find with their friends at the Festival. TRF opens October 1st.

Science Fiction Fans

Science fiction authors and frequent convention speakers Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon have reached out to the fantasy, scifi, and role-playing games fans hit by Katrina by opening their home in Oklahoma. See http://www.gryphonking.com for more information.

Society for Creative Anachronism

On Tuesday, Lord Colin asked all SCA-Disaster members to post only crucial information to keep the list from being flooded (forgive the pun) with offers of sympathy and encouragement. "The response was overwhelming." SCA Pelicans (skilled administrators) and others stepped up to organize everything from fundraisers and care package deliveries to on-line forums.

Master José

Master José (Mathew Gnagy) of Jefferson City, MO has organized members of the Laurel (SCA artists) all across the Known World to replace lost and destroyed regalia. Forced to flee with only their two-month-old baby, the heirs of Gleann Abhann (New Orleans) had room for a small amount of clothing and personal papers, just before their home was flooded under eight feet of water. Their truck, with all the regalia, was completely submerged during the flood. Losses included the crowns, banners, coronation clothing, and thrones. The Gleann Abhann Premier Coronation which was scheduled for October 1, 2005, and would have established the new kingdom as the 19th Kingdom of the SCA, has been postponed indefinitely though many believe it should be held sometime before April 30, 2006.

Radu and Broinnfinn, the Lord and Lady of Gleann Abhann wrote passionately in an open letter dated September 2, 2005, "When all else has been lost, we cling to those things we still have - the slivers of normalcy and a life beyond the loss. Things like Gleann Abhann's First Coronation ARE important. Because, when all the banners, crowns and thrones are stripped away, when we stop addressing each other with funny titles, and go past that we dress in funny clothes, what is left is a community of the most generous and caring people that has ever existed. This is a community that deserves to be celebrated and recognized and cherished for the concern and brotherhood that we have shared." Read their letter in its entirety.

Within days, each SCA kingdom appointed a disaster coordinator and the Society Seneschal's office began acting as a clearinghouse for inter-kingdom relief efforts. Many other Internet resources are helping to bring together people to help those in need.

Lord Vallawulf founded SCA-911 after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to deal with emergencies affecting members of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). This site helps coordinate "the movement of money, equipment, supplies, and people to and from those situations." The list allows more discussion than SCA-Disaster and serves the victims of any disaster, whether a house fire, tornado, epidemic, flood or hurricane. SCA-911 also helped during the forest fires of 2003 and 2004.

Max and Lethrenn, who stepped down as King and Queen of Meridies and the Principality of Gleann Abhann (an SCA region that includes all the areas hardest hit by Katrina) on September 10th, established a bulletin board in the last days of their reign, for the Medieval Disaster Relief Center. The MDRC is organizing in and out-of-kingdom events and disaster-relief drives. This site is rapidly becoming a hub of information and organization. No matter where you're located, if your SCA group would like to do anything to help, please contact these folks and let them know about it. They have established a donation fund for SCA members in need and will have a web page available soon where you can make donations securely with Pay Pal. Until then you can send donation to Medieval Disaster Relief Center c/o Sara Nichols (Duchess Lethrenn), 175 Lucile Lane, Lilburn, GA 3004

Efforts are currently underway to clean up the site for Gulf Wars, a large annual SCA camping event held in March. Here are pictures of the Gulf Wars site. Many of the large shade trees are gone. Wind and flying debris damaged many of the permanent and semi-permanent structures including the lodge and the fort.

Darren Hopkins and friends from the SCA worked 13 hours to get I-59 to the site cleared. Photo by Ellen Hopkins.

As time goes by and the waters recede, rebuilding will begin. Many precious things will need to be replaced. In our community it is even harder, since you can't go down to K-mart and buy a 15th century-style hand-painted scroll or an appliquéd banner of your personal arms. Many possessions will not be covered by insurance policies and couldn't be replaced if they were. For these reasons Yahoo groups SCA- Starting Over and SCA-Back To Normal have been established.

SCA corporate has put on hiatus all memberships in the areas that do not have mail service. "We don't want members in the affected areas having their memberships count down during a time in which no publications will be delivered," wrote Gabrielle Underwood, Director, SCA, Inc. After re-establishing a valid mail service address, each membership hiatus will end.

On August 31st, the Chateau Teafort Trio (George L. Reed, Andrew Nicholson, and Katheryn Kibellus) pledged all profits from their debut album to the Medival Disaster Relief Fund for SCA participants suffering damages as a result of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coasts of Louisiana, Mississipi, and Alabama. George Reed is also known as Master Aaron Swiftrunner (the presiding officer of the SCA). By Tuesday, September 6, the trio had raised $3,100 for the fund through CD sales.

"Whilst it is only a drop in the bucket of all that was lost," said the trio spokesman George Reed, "Every bit helps in a time where much help is needed. We are dedicated to using our art to help our extended family through a difficult time."

After reading many posts and fielding phone calls from all over, Mistress Gwennddolynn ni hAilleachain, Seneschal of the Kingdom of Meridies spoke for many when she posted, "I cannot convey how touched and grateful we are here in Meridies, for the outpouring of help and concern—we are truly blessed to have such good friends in the SCA. You guys are, hands-down, what we are all striving to be—noble"

More Links

• Articles on SCA response to Katrina
  
• Stand Glean Abhenn, Heart of the Southland, and A Kingdom Baptised by Storm Three inspiring poems dedicated to Gleann Abhann that will put a lump in your throat.
• Map of SCA communities affected by storm. LARF is near Wyrmgest on this map.

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